Bridled tern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bridled tern
Adult on Lady Elliot Island, Australia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Onychoprion
Species:	anaethetus
Synonyms
Sterna anaethetus Scopoli, 1786

A Bridled Tern at the MHNT museum.

The bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) is a type of seabird. It belongs to the Laridae family, which includes gulls and other terns. This bird lives in warm, tropical oceans around the world. Its scientific name comes from Ancient Greek words. Onychoprion means "claw" or "saw," and anaethetus means "senseless" or "stupid." Don't worry, the bird isn't actually stupid! It's just a funny old name.

What Does a Bridled Tern Look Like?

The bridled tern is a medium-sized bird. It is about 30–32 cm (12–13 inches) long. Its wings can spread out to 77–81 cm (30–32 inches) wide. This is similar in size to a common tern, but the bridled tern is a bit stronger built.

It has long wings and a tail that splits deeply into two parts. Its back and upper parts are dark grey. Its belly and underside are white. The bird has a white forehead and white "eyebrows." It also has a clear white band around the back of its neck. Its legs and beak are black. Young bridled terns look a bit different. They have scaly grey feathers on top and are lighter underneath.

You might confuse this bird with other terns. The sooty tern also has a dark back. The spectacled tern lives in the Pacific Ocean. The bridled tern has a lighter back than the sooty tern. It also has a thinner white forehead and that special pale neck band.

Where Do Bridled Terns Live?

Bridled terns are migratory birds. This means they travel to different places during the year. They spend their winters widely across tropical oceans. These birds really love the sea, more than most other terns.

There are different groups of bridled terns, called subspecies. They live in various parts of the world:

• One group, O. a. melanopterus, lives in the Caribbean and West Africa.
• Another group, O. a. antarcticus, is found around the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and western Indian Ocean.
• The O. a. anaethetus group lives in the eastern Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
• Finally, O. a. nelsoni lives along the west coast of Mexico and Central America.

Sometimes, a bridled tern might fly far off course. It can be seen rarely in western Europe.

How Do Bridled Terns Raise Their Young?

Bridled terns like to nest together in large groups called colonies. They choose rocky islands for their homes. They make a simple nest on the ground or in a small hole. The female tern usually lays one egg.

These birds find their food by diving into the ocean. They plunge headfirst into the water to catch fish. They can also pick food right off the water's surface. This is similar to how a black tern or a gull-billed tern might feed. Bridled terns usually dive straight down. They don't do the "stepped-hover" dive that Arctic terns often use.

When a male tern wants to attract a female, he will offer her a fish. This is part of their special courtship dance.

Pictures of Bridled Terns

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  In non-breeding plumage

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  A Bridled Tern at its rookery (nesting site)

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  A young Bridled Tern on Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia

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  A Bridled Tern flying over Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia

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  A young Bridled Tern bathing at Perth Zoo

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  A young or adult tern taking off from sea debris during a Pelagic trip off the coast of Malpe

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  O. a. antarcticus after a dive (a combined image)

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  An image for identifying the bird

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  A Bridled Tern with its egg in a nest under boardwalk steps on Penguin Island, Western Australia